National Briefing | Midwest: Ohio: Apology For Lottery Claim

Published: January 9, 2004

A woman who told the police she bought and lost a lottery ticket worth $162 million all but admitted she made it up, saying tearfully: ''I wanted to win so bad for my kids and my family. I apologize.'' The woman, Elecia Battle, 40, said she was dropping her lawsuit over the Mega Millions jackpot awarded on Tuesday to Rebecca Jemison, 34. Days after the Dec. 30 drawing, Ms. Battle filed a police report saying she had lost the winning ticket, possibly when she dropped her purse outside a convenience store. The police in South Euclid, where the winning ticket was sold, said Ms. Battle would probably be charged with filing a false police report, a misdemeanor punishable by 30 days to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. When she was asked directly if she had lied, Ms. Battle's lawyer refused to let her answer.